For an article information management system, an RFID system is recently put to practical use and the RFID system allows a reader/writer and an RFID tag applied to an article to communicate in a noncontact technique utilizing a magnetic field or an electromagnetic field so as to transmit predetermined information.
For such existing systems, the RFID tag is manufactured by attaching an RFIC element (an RFIC (radio frequency integrated circuit) chip itself or a package equipped with an RFIC chip) to an antenna base material provided with an antenna element. Conventionally known methods for connecting the RFIC element and the antenna element include a method described in JP No. 2008-84149 A, for example.
In JP No. 2008-84149 A, the RFIC element is connected to a pair of terminal electrodes (also referred to as connection conductors) formed on a base material. The base material is affixed to an antenna base material by a nonconductive adhesive such that the pair of terminal electrodes is connected to an antenna element on the antenna base material. As a result, the RFIC element and the antenna element are connected via the pair of terminal electrodes, and an RFID tag is manufactured.
Moreover, in JP No. 2008-84149 A, after a conductive foil such as a copper foil is formed on an entire surface of a sheet-like base material extending in a band shape, the conductive foil is patterned by etching, or the like, into a desired shape to form multiple pairs of terminal electrodes. Subsequently, RFIC elements are respectively connected to the pairs of terminal electrodes. At that point, the sheet-like base material is cut to obtain one RFIC element with base material connected to a pair of terminal electrodes. This RFIC element with base material is affixed to an antenna base material via an adhesive to manufacture an RFID.
This conventional manufacturing method has a problem since it is difficult to precisely connect an RFIC element that is a minute electronic component to a pair of terminal electrodes. Additionally, when the RFIC element with base material is affixed to the antenna base material with an adhesive, the adhesive is interposed between the pair of terminal electrodes and the antenna element. To avoid this interposition, when the adhesive is applied onto the substrate, the adhesive may be applied while avoiding the pair of terminal electrodes. However, in this case, it is difficult to accurately apply the adhesive, and an insufficient amount of the adhesive may reduce the reliability of connection between the antenna element and the pair of terminal electrodes.